Wednesday, January 31, 2007

THACKREY ANDROMEDA PINOT NOIR - 2003

From one of my favorite winemakers comes this Pinot Noir from Devil's Gulch Ranch, Marin County. A California red with a whopping 15.1% alcohol, Thackrey pulls no punches. Many of you may remember hearing about the Vallejo warehouse fire of 2005 that wiped out a good portion of his 2003 vintage. I guess that makes this bottle even more rare than it already was since Sean's wines are often hard to find in the local stores.TASTING NOTES:Dark rich red in color, much more so than you'd expect from a Pinot Noir. The nose is smokey with raspberry, earth, minerals and vanilla. In the mouth, this feels and tastes like a robust Syrah with lots of cherry, rapsberry, spice and cranberry. The body is close to full, yet the wine seems a bit closed.SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:88 PTSAn eccentric Pinot Noir with an unusal profile. If you are looking for an elegant Oregon styled Pinot or a heady Burgundy, you'll get neither. This is a wine of a different kind. An intriguing experience in the glass, but not worth its current inflated retail price of $60 - $70 a bottle.